A Beginner Guide to Skateboarding

Updated on February 1, 2015

Skateboarding is an extreme sports that is loved by people around the world. This is a challenging sports and it provides the opportunity for the skateboarders to learn many essential thing such as balancing and making sleek move. For beginners, skateboarding can be kind of tricky at first and it might take some efforts and time before one can start to skateboarding well, at least for some simple move. Here, we would cover how to skateboard for beginner.

Before getting started to play to do all those cool moves, the very first thing that you need to do is to learn how to balance yourself on the skateboard. This is the fundamental of skateboarding and it is absolutely the most difficult part. All the how to skateboard tricks will come naturally once you have learned and mastered the balancing skill. This is very true, think about it, how could you step on the board and move when you can't even balance yourself on it?

Some Kickoff Tips for Beginner Skateboarders

The most important thing when riding a skateboard is to pay attention to the positioning of your feet.

You should place your feet firmly on the front and the back bolts as this is the position where you will achieve the most balancing and doing skateboard tricks will be easier and smoother this way.

As a beginner, you should always learn how to skateboard on smooth surfaces; only do it on uneven surfaces or on the road when you are more pro.

By the way, it's a good idea too to begin your skateboarding lesson riding with large wheels because the board will feel a lot smoother with larger wheels.

Again, as a newcomer to skateboarding sports, it's essential for you understand that there are three types or 'stances' of skateboarders. If your are more comfortable with your right foot placed in the back, then you are considered as a 'regular skateboarder'.

On the other hand, if you feel more comfortable with your left foot in the back, then you are a 'goofy skateboarder'.

'Mongo' stance is only used by a selective few and involved pushing the board with your front foot. You should either slide Regular or Goofy.

It doesn't really matter what type of skateboarder you are; there's no right or wrong way on how to skateboard, it is just a name given to differentiate the way the feet are positioned. So just do what you feel natural when you riding on the skateboard. Use your foot that is positioned in the front to push off and then return to the center as you roll forward. You should practice both the pushing off and returning to a balanced starting position a few times until it becomes a routine. This is again a fundamental lesson of skateboarding, so make it a part of you.

Now, when you are rolling on the skateboard, you should always keep your legs slightly bent (just a little bit) to maintain a proper center of balance. To maintain greater balancing, you can also place your hands reach out on your side, just like those people who perform wire walking.

To stop rolling, simple place your back foot on the ground and if you are going fast, drag your foot across the ground to slow and eventually stop your momentum. How to skateboard well require efforts and you should master these basics skills before proceeding to the more advanced tricks.

How to Skateboard for Beginners (a lesson from a self-taught)

Vert Vs Street Skateboarding

There are two types of skateboarding, Vert and Street. Vert skateboarding is when the skateboarder uses a half pipe (refer to the side photo) to perform tricks; this normally could be seen during skateboarding competition.

Street skateboarding, on the other hand, uses just pretty much anything that can be found on the street such as the sidewalk, rails, stairs, ramps, and etc. Street skateboarding is more popular compares to vert skateboarding and this could be due to the fact that the vert requires a half pipe. Moreover, street skateboarding look more cool and challenging. Learn how to skateboard on the half pipe first before attempting your skill on the street.

Learning how to skateboard is fun but yet challenging. Don't give up if you fall down the first few times, keep on doing it and eventually you will master the game. It becomes easier when you get the skateboard to start rolling. And it's just a matter of time before you start rolling like the pro.

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